


Warmth

by IgnisAlis



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, SHIELD Agent Darcy Lewis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 04:26:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6455761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IgnisAlis/pseuds/IgnisAlis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy doesn't know what she's going to do when she steps between the agents' guns and the Hulk, but she has to do something to stop this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was sparked by a brief idea about someone stopping soldier-hulk violence by not being an idiot. I didn't really want to do that with an OC, so I leaped on the “what if SHIELD recruited Darcy” bandwagon. Then I recalled the scene cut from Thor where she rescues all the pet shop animals, and realized that presumably she is good with animal body language and the basics of interacting safely with a strange animal. These skills would overlap with those necessary to have a good interaction with the Hulk: go slow, don't be a threat, let him finish coming up to you, etc. And thus, this fic was born.

Having dispatched the last of the giant mutated hyenas, Hulk turned towards the SHIELD agents. Darcy watched with horror as most of them pointed their guns at him. Fuck this. 

“Weapons _down!_ ” She yelled, trying to imitate Maria Hill's tone of voice. She technically had a higher clearance level than these guys— and girls— but she was pretty sure she wasn't allowed to give them orders. Too bad. They were being stupid. A few, startled, did as she said. The rest ignored her. 

Hulk was starting to rumble warningly, like an angry dog, so Darcy walked out in front of one of the agents who had listened to her. Then kept walking, hoping that no one shot her. 

“Hey Hulk,” she said cheerfully. “We haven't met yet. I'm Darcy, Jane's friend.” Going with the theory that he'd react to body language like a skittish dog, she kept her body language relaxed and angled a little to the side. She stared at his chin, avoiding eye contact in case he saw that as a threat. “How ya doin', big guy?” 

Hulk moved forward, some of his weight on his knuckles like one of the great apes. He seemed curious now. 

Darcy took that as a good sign, and slowly walked forward, hoping again that the SHIELD agents were smart enough not to start shit with her in the middle. Thor liked her, and that was some pretty good protection around SHIELD. She stopped maybe five feet away, letting him broach the distance if he wanted. 

Hulk leaned forward. With his weight on his hands, he wasn't threatening to smash, so Darcy was still. He stretched out his neck, and seemed to be peering at her cap. “Yeah, dude, I know a burgundy knitted hat probably isn't formal work attire, but hey, it's warm.” Hulk was close enough to smell her now, and she wondered if he did that. Or if great apes did. 

“Warm?” Hulk's voice was a low rumble. “Hulk not warm.” 

“Oh hey, it's nice to hear you talk!” She blinked, parsing the question. “Are you cold? Shit, you aren't exactly wearing much clothing, are you?” She pulled off her hat and scarf. It was chilly, but she'd be fine with just her jacket. “Would you like me to put these on you?” 

Hulk lifted a hand, prodding them with a finger. “Soft.” He sounded surprised. 

“If you'll lean down, I'll put them on you. You're kinda tall.” Hulk crouched down. His head was, wow, probably twice as big as hers. Thank Thor she'd worn the knit hat today. It would stretch, like, whoa. The hat went on without any problems, though it was pretty much tight to his head. It had no more give to give! She stretched the infinity scarf out, so it didn't touch Hulk's face when she let it fall. “There. Any better?” 

Hulk petted the material with two fingers. “Warm. Good.” 

There was a loud whoosh? Roar? Whatever, and they both looked up. Iron Man landed a few yards away. The face plate flipped up to reveal Tony's worried face. 

“Whoa, buddy, don't hurt Darcy. We like Darcy, she brings us coffee.” 

Darcy frowned. “He's totally chill. Relax, Tony.” 

“Uh. This is an unusual amount of calm for someone this close to the Hulk.” 

Darcy shrugged. “I wrangle scientists all day. Hulk is a big puppy. Kinda literally, maybe, I think he picks up on aggressive body language. I volunteer at the animal shelter a lot, maybe I'm just used to getting reactions based on my posture.” 

Tony looked at Hulk and did a double take, apparently just noticing the hat and scarf. He could be astonishingly unobservant for a genius. “And the fashion accessories?” 

“He said he was cold. I couldn't really think of anywhere to get a giant blanket on short notice, so I figured this would have to do.” 

“...Yeah, okay, good call.” 

There was a moment of awkward silence, then she and Tony were distracted watching Hulk shrink down into Banner. His expression when he realized he was wearing a hat and scarf were _totally_ worth the chewing out she was likely to get for this.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know how Darcy's voice sounded. She speaks in a much more bubbly and colloquial style than I generally write, so this was a bit of a challenge.


End file.
